Our visit to the Westport River watershed!

Today’s blogger is Shalen!

Just a stone’s throw away from Rhode Island, I visited the Westport River watershed in Westport, Massachusetts last week. Matt Patrick, the Executive Director of the Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA), led us around this spectacular area. Starting at the WRWA headquarters, I met Shelli Costa, the Education Director, and Gay Gillespie, who works in Development, and learned about the history and the present direction of the association.

Near the Westport Point

The WRWA was founded in 1967, after a group of concerned citizens came together to protest a proposed sewage lagoon in Westport. Since its establishment, the WRWA has nurtured its cooperative relationships with local businesses and government, residents, and its own members. The WRWA’s present focus is three-pronged: advocacy before state and local boards for the preservation of the watershed’s resources, education, and water quality monitoring. The WRWA has a significant influence on development and conservation projects in the area and staff and members attend Board of Health and other state and local meetings. Education is a big part of this organization’s mission, too, with summer camps and programs and school-based modules are among its successes. WRWA’s water quality testing program is one of the oldest continuously operating ones in the state.

The Westport River watershed is 100 square miles in size and includes parts of Massachusetts (Westport, Fall River, Dartmouth, and Freetown) as well as Rhode Island (Tiverton and Little Compton). About 85% of the watershed’s land mass drains into the East and West Branches of the Westport River, which empty into Rhode Island Sound. The remaining 15% drains into Fall River’s Mount Hope Bay. Because of its proximity to the ocean, the watershed is largely estuarial, an important saltwater habitat for shellfish and eelgrass. This watershed is one of the healthiest estuary systems in Massachusetts, because of its sparse development and low population.

To begin our tour of the watershed, we drove south from the WRWA headquarters to Westport Point and got a taste of the unbridled beauty the Westport River’s waters have to offer. From there we drove over Route 88 and down the west side of the east branch of the river to Baby Beach where the WRWA runs educational programs for children. For instance, fifth graders learn about dune ecosystems and plant beachgrass every October as part of the Watershed Educational Program (WEP), which reaches about 2,000 students in Westport schools every year and complements the schools’ science curricula. The program fosters a sense of stewardship at a young age. Each year the students learn about topic-specific watershed issues, such as the watershed drainage model (used to discuss the importance of rain gardens for stormwater runoff), and work on solving watershed challenges that impact their community, like coastal erosion.

When we arrived at Baby Beach, we found Shelli Costa, known as “Heron” to the kids, and two summer interns from UMASS Dartmouth, nicknamed “Periwinkle” and “Egret,” running a program attended by neighborhood children. The willing students began their exploration into marine ecosystems by learning about the life cycle of the Atlantic silverside and making colorful fish mobiles to take home. Following that, Shelli led them over to the water to search the shallow waters for signs of life while Periwinkle and Egret waded into deeper water to net organisms for the kids to inspect. The children were excited to see silverside fish, spider crabs (we even watched one molt its shell!), jellyfish, and one oddity, a tropical fish, which wandered in from the Gulf Stream, whose currents shift more close to shore in the summer. The kids were eager to share anything they knew about the fish they found, and I could tell they were having a great time. To see children excited about environmental education at so young an age and feeling so passionate about the watershed is refreshing. These children, as so many in the Westport school system who have been exposed to WRWA programs, recognize how integrated their lives are with their environment.

A portion of the constructed wetland the WRWA maintains.

Departing reluctantly from the excitement of the program at Baby Beach, we headed south and east to Horseneck Beach and East Beach, then, traveled north up the eastern side of the east branch of the Westport River. We visited Allens Pond, a tidal pond and wildlife sanctuary run by Mass Audubon. Our panorama of the pond and the coastal beaches was positively breathtaking.

During the course of our travels, we visited the Head of Westport, one of the three villages in Westport and the location of an historic building that may become the future office of WRWA. Behind the building and next to Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures is a constructed wetland that the WRWA designed, built, and now maintains. Its purpose is to filter pollutants from diverted stormwater runoff before allowing the water to enter the river—an engineered, yet natural-appearing solution to a common problem (stormwater runoff) that affects water quality.

Just up the street from the wetland is Westport Middle School, where we watched city workers construct a rain garden at the front of the school. Another freshly planted rain garden sits around the side of the school. The WRWA’s partnership and cooperation with the city of Westport is evident in these gardens. It’s also a good example of WRWA’s influence in conservation projects and maintenance of open space and clean water throughout the area.

We drove next to the Hix Bridge. Huge granite blocks discarded in the Westport River during the bridge’s reconstruction clog the channels, slowing the water current and promoting the deposition of sediment causing difficulties for the native oysters. WRWA is working with a former EPA employee, Ken Perez, to study the negative effects of this sediment buildup on oyster health. The WRWA works with the town (much like the Neponset River Watershed Association does), rather than against it on issues such as this. Environmental organizations’ cooperation with their local people and governments fosters positive and cooperative relations and expedites progress.

The Fork in the Road!

We wandered via the scenic route close to the river’s shores until we crossed Cornell Road and drove down the west branch of the river near Adamsville, where we saw the “fork in the road,” a literal fork statue at the intersection of River Road and Old Harbor Road. Sculptor Tom Schmitt created it in 2010 for a WRWA fundraiser. We then passed a pond near Grey’s Grist Mill that WRWA helped dredge. We briefly crossed the Rhode Island state line in our travels.

Westport Herring Run

Our final stop was the Westport herring run, just across the river from Westport Point, the first stop in our tour. In the spring, river herring swim upstream into Cockeast Pond. This is another truly unforgettable spot in the watershed. I’ve learned it’s crucial to have a view of the river, either for recreational purposes or emotional restoration, because if people can see the river, they will be more likely to have a concrete and personal attachment to its protection.

To see with my own eyes and experience these watershed areas first-hand, demonstrates to me their valuable ecological and emotionally restorative characteristics. Each watershed environment is priceless, unique, and passionately protected by those who care for it and call it home. To become a member of the Westport River Watershed Alliance, and to learn about the WRWA’s stormwater projects, volunteer opportunities, dune restoration project and more, visit http://westportwatershed.org/.

My day out on the Back River

Today’s blogger is Shalen!

Did you know that the Weymouth Herring Run in the Back River watershed is one of the largest runs in Massachusetts? On August 6^th, I had the great pleasure of joining Linda DiAngelo, President of the Back River Watershed Association (BRWA), on a boat tour of the Back River. Local State Representative James Murphy, a longtime supporter of the BRWA, organized this tour to gain support for the proposed Back River Trail connecting Great Esker Park and Abigail Adams State Park in North Weymouth to Stodder’s Neck State Park and Bare Cover Park in East Weymouth, making these seemingly separate parks a one-destination attraction. This trip was also an excellent opportunity for me to get to know the BRWA, as well as the issues, triumphs, and goals for the Back River watershed.

The Back River runs through Weymouth and Hingham Massachusetts. Its watershed includes portions of Braintree, Abington, Rockland and Holbrook, and the river is a state-designated area of critical environmental concern (ACEC). The BRWA’s mission to preserve, protect and promote the Back River. The Back River is tidal and its Estuary is one of the most productive with tidal flats, seabed nurseries for many species of fin fish, and shellfish beds. The mouth of the river lies at Whitman’s Pond in East Weymouth, which serves as the town’s secondary water supply. It is also the spawning grounds for river herring and is the location of the Weymouth Herring Run. The run boasts five fish ladders. Webb State Park, Abigail Adams State Park and Great Esker Park sprawl to the west side of the river and Bare Cove Park to the east (in Hingham). Many tributaries flow into the Back River including Fresh River entering from Hingham and Old Swamp River and Mill River from Weymouth. Nine open-space parks, including those previously mentioned, surround the river, and are wonderful passive recreational areas for walking, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing, fishing, birding and wildlife watching. The Back River flows out to Hingham Bay, which is where the herring enter the river. 

Mary F. Toomey founded the BRWA in order to conserve the Back River, with help and direction from Dr. Mary Sears of Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institution. Toomey was born in Weymouth, taught in its school system for 41 years, and was beloved for her leadership. She served as a Weymouth Town Meeting Member and was an active participant in this community. To save the Back River, Toomey ran a campaign with the Weymouth Conservation Commission to buy Great Esker Park when released for sale by the government. Among her numerous accomplishments, Toomey’s tireless work helped the Weymouth Back River attain its ACEC designation in 1982. Toomey helped constitute four important designations for the Back River:  an ACEC in 1982, a wildlife sanctuary, a local scenic river, and one of Massachusetts Special Places, by Mass. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.  As Representative Murphy acknowledged on our tour, everyone in the area knows of and highly respects the late Mary Toomey for her dedication to and influence on the Back River watershed. In 2004 Toomey was honored with The Gulf of Maine Council Visionary Award.  Along with Linda, another of the BRWA’s board members is Phil Lofgren, the Assistant Herring Warden and a particularly knowledgeable individual.

On the hour-long tour, we departed from the South Shore Yacht Club at Abigail Adams State Park. The morning was sunny and the breeze welcoming as the day heated up out on the water. According to Representative Murphy, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) completed plans for the proposed trail, and they just need funding to begin the extension project. As president of the BRWA, Linda is excited about the trail extension, but also she impressed upon me the importance of not widening the existing trails, because Great Esker Park in particular contains a valuable and fragile post-glacial ninety-foot esker, reversing falls, and many archeological treasures. There is a fine balance between recreation and conserving the waterfront shores of the river. Many important officials were in attendance, including members of the DCR and the Conservation Commission. In particular I talked to Abby Pearsall, Conservation Officer of the Town of Hingham Conservation Commission.

We ventured upstream the Back River’s waters, in between the state parks, heading towards the direction of Whitman’s Pond. When the waterway narrowed too much for the boats to pass, we turned around and double-backed past the Yacht Club, our starting point, and downstream to see Stodder’s Neck. Stodder’s Neck is a piece of the Back River Reservation (a coastal reservation and part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston) that Representative Murphy wants to be preserved for the conservation commission. We also saw the nearby Weymouth Port Condominiums, which rest on a piece of land that was remediated by the multinational corporation ConocoPhillips. The land, which was contaminated by lead and arsenic residue left over from the operation of a fertilizer plant owned by American Agricultural Chemical, was acquired by ConocoPhillips in 1963.  The boat tour was the perfect way to draw people out, and have them experience the beauty and inherent importance of the Back River to its environment and notice the need for a trail to connect the state parks.

Linda DiAngelo, President of the BRWA

After our tour of the river concluded, Linda was kind enough to bring me to the huge Weymouth Herring Run. To reach Whitman’s Pond for spawning, the herring travel from the Atlantic Ocean to Massachusetts Bay, from there to Hingham Bay, and finally up the Back River and through the five fish ladders. The herring, most of which are alewives, must travel a total of 70 vertical feet up the Weymouth Herring Run, located in Jackson Square in Weymouth, to reach the pond. Linda led me to the three viewing areas in the square, from which I could see the run. I saw a resting pool for the herring at one section adjacent to Stephen Rennie Park, and I observed the swinging gate in need of repair in another section (discussed below) in Herring Run Pool Park. From the Iron Hill observation platform, I marveled at the longest sector of the run, and at the size and scope of the run in its entirety. Finally, Linda and I walked from Iron Hill, named for the iron production that flourished in the 19^th century in the area, to a south cove that led up to Whitman’s Pond, the mouth of the Back River.

One of the issues the BRWA encounters is a host of structural problems on their herring run. The major problem with the run is a swinging gate that is not functioning correctly at the part of the run that contains a flood control tunnel. Fish are getting caught and killed in the gate. The herring are a vital keystone species in this environment, because they sustain the recreational and commercial fisheries in Boston Harbor and the Gulf of Maine, and the damaged gate must be repaired to sustain the herring population and therefore these fisheries. In addition to maintaining the fish ladders, BRWA also strives to improve water quality in the Back River and Estuary, because of declining herring populations, and to reopen shellfish beds.

Thanks to Linda, and her never-ending and vibrant knowledge of the Back River watershed, and Representative Murphy for sponsoring an informative and engaging tour on the river, I experienced my day to the fullest. The Back River watershed, like the Jones River watershed and countless others, is another priceless and wonderful environment in Massachusetts, and perhaps even more impressive than the river itself are the people striving to preserve and protect it.

Want to learn more about the Back River Watershed Association? Please visit their Facebook page by clicking https://www.facebook.com/pages/Back-River-Watershed-Association/345912222170505 and visiting the Watershed Action Alliance at http://watershedaction.org/.

Orphan Dam in Hyde Park

Today we share a post from Tom Palmer, manager of Neponset River Watershed Association's Willet Pond, first posted on NepRWA's blog

Recent development in Boston beside the Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam has made it more visible but no less problematic.

Tileston and Hollingsworth from Hyde Park bank 8/8/98

If you’ve canoed the lower river, you know about the Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam–a formidable roadblock on the Milton/Hyde Park line at the former Bay State Paper complex, where the river falls about six feet over a concrete wall divided into two parts, each topped by a sort of adjustable drawbridge called a bascule that can be raised and lowered to fine-tune the rate of flow. You also know that the only way past the dam is a lengthy carry around the derelict mill buildings on the Milton bank, a twisting route often blocked by chainlink fences and barbed wire.

Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam from Milton bank 11/30/08. The mill at rear has just been demolished. Homes at rear are on far side River St, Hyde Park.

But the Milton option was the only one, since the Hyde Park bank was completely bricked in by the massive mill complex, and you couldn’t even walk the narrow wedge of rubbly fill at the water’s edge, much less drag a canoe over it.

Bay State Paper Mill overlooking Neponset River, Hyde Park, MA 12/16/95. View upstream from Milton bank. The mill would close for good in 2004

I live not far from the dam in Milton, and from time to time I wander in from Truman Highway, under the railroad and around the perforated sheds and roofless tanks, if only to see if it’s still do-able. And it is probably not news to many of you that the view across the river has been completely transformed; nearly all the mill buildings on the Hyde Park side have been knocked down and hauled away, and the resulting vacancy, renamed The Shops at Riverwood, has a brand new PriceRite supermarket and Sovereign Bank down at the far end. The $30 million project is being built by the Finard Properties of Burlington with $5 million in financing from the city.

Looking east across former site of 8.5 acre Tileston and Hollingsworth paper mill complex, now the Shops at River St. 892 River St., Hyde Park, MA 7/28/13

The bank and supermarket opened in 2010, and in the last month, the steel for another building went up right beside the dam, a large two-story box which will reportedly have a Dollar Tree on the ground floor facing the parking lot and perhaps a restaurant or similar tenant up above and at grade beside River St.

River St with new 10,000 sq ft two-story commercial building under construction at rear. Shops at Riverwood, 892 River St., Hyde Park, 7/28/13

View from River St. of three-story brick tower at Hyde Park end of Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam 7/28/13

Looking west at relict three-story tower at Hyde Park end Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam beside new commercial building 7/28/13

Does this mean paddlers will now be able to portage the Hyde Park side of the dam? Evidently not; the immediate bank is as rubbly and overgrown as ever, but instead of a mill looming over it, it has a new retaining wall topped by a waist-high fence–great for views of the river, not so great for humping canoes. Indeed, it looks as though the developers preferred to simply pull away from the bank rather than attempt to incorporate it in the project. In honor of what was, they didn’t touch the iconic three-story brick tower that anchors the end of the dam or the bulkier steam plant downstream, whose mighty brick chimney still dominates the area.

In the meantime, the dam itself has deteriorated further. Up until recently, the dam’s owner, the state Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, usually kept the Milton-side gate raised, confining flows to the Hyde Park-end in dry weather, but the latter gate tended to slip, and frequently had to be cranked up again, which cut-off flow until the river overtopped it. Now it looks as though the agency has decided the Hyde Park gate is not worth repairing, because a series of holes has been punched into it, and these now discharge the river’s entire flow except during high water.

Upstream side Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam from Hyde Park bank 5/5/13

Downstream side Tileston and Hollingsworth dam from Hyde Park bank 5/5/13

I am not a dam expert, and don’t know why the rebuilt dam was equipped with gates approximately fifty years ago, not long after Hurricane Diane blew out its predecessor in August 1955. The gates allowed DCR to vary the elevation of the river behind the dam over a range of five feet or so, a function presumably useful to the adjacent mill, which would continue to operate off and on until 2004. But the holes in the gate have dropped the pool behind the dam to a new and somewhat lower elevation, exposing the former high-water mark as a deep incision on the Milton bank just upstream.

Pool above Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam. Looking upstream, Milton bank at rear 5/5/13

If you are eager, as I am, for the dam to come out entirely, so that the Neponset can once again glitter with ocean-going fish running upstream to spawn, you can’t be displeased that it’s not being maintained. Hey, you might even wish it would fall apart quicker. Now that the Hyde Park side of the dam is being spiffed up and made over, and more and more people are coming to the site, here’s hoping that the river will get some attention as well.

Tom Palmer, Willett Pond Manager, August 6, 2013

Small Dams Tumble on Massachusetts Rivers

Our guest blogger is Carly Rocklen,  Restoration Manager and Outreach Director for the Neponset River Watershed Association. 

The frequency of dam removals on streams and rivers around Massachusetts and New England is picking up.

The removal of small dams from rivers around Massachusetts and New England has been in the news, pretty frequently, these days. For instance, you may just have read an article on the removal of the Whittenton Dam on the Mill River in Taunton, MA, or on the Veazie Dam on the Penobscot River in ME.

Dam removals have been increasing in frequency as a general understanding builds that old, deteriorating dams that no longer function for their original purpose (most were built in previous centuries to power mills) present liability and flooding hazards, are far more expensive to maintain and re-build than to remove, and threaten the future of New England fisheries.

These dam removals elicit passion and excitement in communities. When dams come down, towns experience physical and aesthetic changes to the landscape and also gain new and improved recreation options. A familiar waterway will revert to a more natural, historic shape and flow, which only people from the past may have known. Residents and river-users become accustomed to seeing different fish, wildlife and plant communities in stretches of the river from which these species may have been absent for decades and even centuries–i.e., since the dams were constructed. The structure of the dam is no longer part of the landscape, and neither is the mill pond that was associated with it. Recreation options widen and improve – people can paddle further up and down rivers, and fishing opportunities diversify.

Now, while dam removal may be an easy process to visualize, it also tends to be more complex and time-intensive to implement than one might expect. Gaining all the necessary permissions, completing the site studies, and acquiring funding can take a while–at least 2.5 to 3 years – and sometimes even 20! Fortunately, under review is a proposed regulatory change that would make the dam removal process simpler, less time-intensive, and less expensive.

The Neponset River Watershed Association continues to pursue small dam removals around the Watershed, with an eye toward restoring stream quality, wildlife habitat, and fish passage. We’re looking forward to implementing a more streamlined dam removal process, one of these days, soon, and to enjoying the community’s reaction to a freer-flowing waterway with a greater variety of wildlife and habitat and better water quality. Learn more about our small dam removal program.

Learn more about dam removal, in general – including the process of removing dams in Massachusetts.

Do you have a dam on your property that you’d like to remove? Other questions? Contact NepRWA Restoration Manager Carly Rocklen at 781-575-0354 x303 and rocklen@neponset.org.

Restoration Manager and Outreach Director Carly Rocklen, August 2, 2013